Another Night in a Darkened Theater with Pikachu

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Another new Pok¿mon movie has been announced in Japan, with Celebi as the main Pok¿mon.

By IGN Staff

If you've been wondering about that hidden last Pokémon in the Gold / Silver versions of the game -- the one that can only be unlocked correctly if Nintendo itself unlocks that Pokémon in your game at a special event -- then prepare yourself for a bit of a shock...

Celebi's about to make its major motion picture debut.

So says the news from a Tokyo press conference held earlier this morning that unveiled details about the fourth Pokémon movie in Japan. Titled Celebi: Toki wo Koeta Sogu (Futuristic Creature), and playing with a Pokémon short called Pikachu no Doki-Doki Hide-and-Seek (Pikachu's Exciting Hide-and-Seek), the new Pokémon movie is being planned for a Japanese release on July 7th 2001.

The Celebi movie will center on the backstory of this mysterious new Pokémon, who is a strange time-traveler creature that has powers over nature as well as time and space. It will be directed by the same Japanese auteur behind Pokémon the First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back and Pokémon the Movie 2000, as well as the third Pokémon movie unreleased in America so far -- Pokémon the Movie: Emperor of the Unknown Tower (where the featured Pokémon is the equally mystifying Unown). The film will also introduce a new baddie, a Team Rocket character names Vicious, who will be Celebi's enemy (voiced by Godzilla 2000's Shiro Sano).

The Pikachu short film with the Celebi feature involves Miku, protector of the Pokémon forest, overseeing Pikachu in an adventure away from any Pokémon trainer. Like the other Pokémon shorts, this one will involve no humans -- just Pokémon in a non-verbal but silly short story. Anne Suzuki (a young actress seen here in Snow Falling on Cedars and --according to IMDB -- certified Pokémon fan) will be voicing the sprightly Miku, and Kumiko Endo will serve as the film's narrator.

We're not so sure when we'll be seeing this Pokémon movie in America, but it will certainly be exciting to learn something about the strange new Celebi soon. Until that happens, start hitting the books in Japanese language class so that you're ready for this movie's July Japanese release.